Agent of superstar defender confirm fresh Arsenal January bid to sign his client

Arsenal and Schalke have reportedly made offers to Medhi Benatia’s agent in the last few weeks, but Juventus don’t want to sell in January.

Italian journalist Nicolo Schira of La Gazzetta dello Sport writes that Benatia’s entourage have received offers from Arsenal and Schalke in recent weeks, and the player himself was ready to listen to them. However, Juventus have no interest in selling in the winter window. They’d rather hold off and sell him in the summer.

It’s hard to see the Serie A club’s motivation for holding onto Benatia. His contract expires in 2020 and he’s 31 years old, so he’s only getting less valuable with each passing window. Plus, he’s spending hardly any time on the pitch for them right now, with just five league starts and one Champions League start for the season.

Daniele Rugani is in a very similar situation, having only made a minimal number of appearances, yet seemingly set to stay in Italy in this transfer window. You’d think Juventus could let one of the two go and have the other pick up the slack.

Whether the Italian champions eventually decide to sell or not, it seems Arsenal are indeed on the market for a defender right now. With all the injuries and poor performances at the back recently, that can only be a good thing.